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Primal Screen: 'North America'

This seven-part nature documentary takes us on a stunning tour of the continent, gliding from the Canadian tundra to the Utah desert to the Atlantic coast. It captures majestic views of mountains and oceans, along with intimate views of animals hustling for survival. The narrator says of the continent’s untamed wilderness: “In its splendor, brutality and beauty, we find our own story.”

Well, I don’t know if I’d go that far. I didn’t really see my own story in a pregnant mountain goat who climbs into the Rocky Mountains to have her kid on an isolated ice crop. Nor did I see it in a gang of killer whales who set upon a defenseless whale cub in Alaska, holding her underwater until she drowns.

Things lighten up a bit in the remote Costa Rican jungle. A dopey-looking little bird called a red-capped mannequin hops around in ridiculous fashion, trying to get the attention of a pretty female bird. The female takes one look at the pathetic spectacle and flies away in disgust.